House of Memories
by Haylesley
Summary: Meet Haruno Sakura, a girl with an addictive personality and a chip on her shoulder. She thought that going on a field trip to the village of Konoha was going to be relaxing. Boy was she wrong. Between the villagers acting like she's a pink haired demon and a 500 year old whack-job, she'll just be lucky to survive the week.
1. Prologue

Prologue

 _Once upon a time in a kingdom far far away, there lived a prince. This prince, although handsome and ever so clever, had a cold heart. Under his ruling the kingdoms economy was very prosperous, however it has to be said, that prosperity isn't everything._

 _The prince knew how to keep his people rich but he did not know how to make them happy. The longer he ruled the worse his people became. They were overcome by greed and selfishness. Very soon friends turned against friends, brother against brother and husband against wife._

 _The people of the kingdom became corrupt. Murder, prostitution and thievery were soon common sightings in this once fair and beautiful kingdom. It was the innocent that suffered the from the peoples greed and hatred._

 _The prince had turned a blind eye to his peoples pain, causing consequences that even the prince's head Seer could not have foretold. Tales of the kingdom had spread to the four corners of the Earth, catching the attention of a great sorcerer. The sorcerer, horrified by the stories he'd been told, knew that something had to be done._

 _He travelled for many weeks to reach the wretched Kingdom of Hatred, and it was apparent when he arrived that things were far worse that he had feared. Houses that looked like they had once been bright and cheerful, were broken and barren. The smell of sewage and rotting meat, so strong he could taste it. Bodies lined the streets,stripped bare of anything of value._

 _The sorcerer was overcome by a terrible rage. What sort of ruler could let his people live like this? Could let his people suffer like this? It was clear that the prince was far worse than uncaring, he was twisted, hateful, corrupt. He would pay for his sins against this land. He would suffer a fate far worse than death._

 _The sorcerer appeared in front of the young prince in a flash of light. His anger and disgust visible to anyone who would look upon him. A normal person would not have wanted the hatred of such a great sorcerer. But the prince was arrogant and foolish, he would not cower to someone whom he felt was beneath him._

" _Are you not scared?" came the bewildered voice of the sorcerer. Surely this prince knew who he was? Was he acting brave for his people, for his peers? Or was he really so stupid to think that he was no threat to him?_

" _Of course not." the prince replied haughtily. "What could you possible do to me? I am a prince, I rule this kingdom. You would have many enemies if you dared to harm me."_

 _The Sorcerer could not believe his ears! The prince was clearly deluded. No other kingdoms in this great land would dare strike a treaty with the Kingdom of Hatred. Far too afraid that the greedy prince would double-cross them._

" _Just who is it, do you think will come to your aid? Many kingdoms are afraid of you. There have been many talks on how to exterminate you. No matter how loud you scream, my prince, no one will be coming to save you." satisfaction fell over the sorcerer in waves, the prince's cold facade was broken. Fear was clearly written over his features._

" _No, please! I'll give you anything you want! Money. Women. Power. You can even have my kingdom. Absolutely anything. Just don't harm me." cried the cowardly prince. His pleas were met with a stony silence. The prince stared into the hard eyes of the sorcerer. He had just sealed his fate with those last words. The prince needed to learn a lesson._

" _Uchiha Sasuke, you must pay for the crimes you have committed against your people. From this day onward you will suffer as your people have." with those words the curse was bound to him. The sorcerer turned to leave, but was stopped once more by the prince._

" _Wait, how long do I have?" panic was begging to set in. How long would he have to endure this suffering? He could already feel it. A deep seated cold settled in his bones despite the warm fire beside him. He felt as if he would starve even though he had only eaten an hour before. And worst of all he felt such sadness that it made him want to weep._

 _The sorcerer sighed. He was tired, this should not have been necessary but alas, it was. Turning towards the prince, he spoke to him for the last time. "As long as it takes. It could be tomorrow, it could be a thousand years from now. If you do not learn to love selflessly, you will be stuck with this curse forever." with that, the sorcerer left._

 _For many many years Uchiha Sasuke suffered from the terrible curse the sorcerer had inflicted upon him, never growing older, never growing kinder. He had watched his kingdom burn, his people die, his hatred grow. That is until he met a girl by the name of Haruno Sakura. She was the one who changed everything._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Hey Sakura. Psst. Wake up you idiot!" a voice came from her left. Blinking blearily Sakura turned to the owner of the voice. It was Ino, she'd been sleeping in class...again. Sitting up straight and stifling a yawn she turned to the teacher and tried to pay attention.

"And that class was the legend of Uchiha Sasuke, don't forget that we'll be taking a field trip to the ruins of the castle. Make sure your all at the pick up point by 07:00 on Saturday morning. We'll be spending the week in the village of Konoha, so please make sure you're prepared. That's it for today you are all dismissed." ugh the teacher was boring! How was she expected to stay awake through that?

"Forehead! Wait up!" Sakura stopped where she was, waiting until Ino caught up with her.

"I definitely can't blame you for falling asleep back there. God, her voice is dull! And can you believe this bull about a week long field trip? I'll miss Next Top Model! This is gonna suck so hard." Ino whined. She did that a lot. Sakura often wondered why guys put up with her.

Well, actually, it was pretty obvious why. One look at Ino was all it took to realise why guys lined up just to talk to her. Her face was close to angelic with her full lips, pert nose and bright blue eyes. Her long blonde hair was in its signature ponytail, as straight and perfect as ever. And to top it all off, Ino had the body of a Victoria's Secret model. Yes, it was safe to say that compared to her beautiful best friend, Sakura felt very inferior.

"Forehead. You're scowling again. If you keep doing it your face will get stuck that like that and then you'll be even uglier." Ino's face was playful and her tone light but it still stung. Well if you compared her to Ino she was ugly. Unfortunately everyone compared her to Ino. Damn. She really needed a cigarette.

Sakura sighed " Come on, lets go to the Cage."

Ino followed Sakura with a frown on her face. She could never understand why Sakura took her words to heart. She was really very pretty. Sakura stood at 5'2" with long pink and the biggest green eyes Ino had ever seen. She was petite and not overly curvy, but she had enough to garner second looks everywhere she went. However her best feature was her smile. When she smiled, really smiled, she was absolutely breathtaking. Ino was rather jealous of Sakura, not that she'd ever admit it out loud. Sakura was smart and witty, she didn't need to use her looks to get boys, they gravitated around her naturally. If it wasn't for her bad habit, she'd be perfect.

Shikamaru and Sakura were the only two people in their group of friends who smoked. Despite this, the entire group could be found at the Cage between classes and during breaks. The Cage was basically a 10ft by 10ft square surrounded by wire fencing. It was the only place on campus that you could smoke and was almost constantly crowded.

"Ino, Sakura." Shikamaru nodded at them as they approached the moderately large group of friends.

" Oh my God guys! Have you heard about this stupid folklore trip?" Ino was practically wailing. "Do you know how much reality TV I'm going to miss?"

Sakura snorted. "Well, at least you might gain some of the IQ points that you've lost. Although I wouldn't hold out much hope if I were you." Ino looked furious. Ha! Her eye was even twitching. Sakura couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into laughter. "I'm just kidding Ino."

"Whatever, at least I'm getting better grades than you in folklore." Ino looked rather smug. Like folklore is even that hard. Sakura slept through every class and still managed to get A's on every test and assignment.

Sakura decided to keep quiet this time, no need to boast about every other class she's aced so far. She grabbed a small silver packet from her bag and proceeded to remove a cigarette. She'd been waiting for this since her last class and just couldn't wait any longer. After nicking a lighter off of Shikamaru she lit up her cigarette and took a long deep breath. She could feel the muscles beneath her skin relaxing and a smile spread across her face. Yes, this is exactly what she needed. "So, what classes do you guys have left?"

Naruto answered first with a tired sounding "Gym." the poor guy looked knackered.

"Well Lee and I have a free period now, so we'll probably just head home." lucky Ten Ten. It always felt like she had a free period.

"I dunno, I'm probably just gonna skip it anyway." Shikamaru muttered. Does he ever attend class?

"I have design! Did you wanna go grab a bite after?" Ino was of course directing this question to Sakura. It had become a bit of a ritual. Finishing up college on a Friday then going out for dinner. And Sakura got stuck with the bill every single time.

"That depends Ino. Will I be paying again?" From the look on Ino's face, the answer was yes. "Fine, OK, I'll pay this time but next time it's your turn. And you have to help me pack for this bloody trip."

"Deal. I might be a little late over, I need to pack too. Can I stay over? That way we can both just get the bus from your house tomorrow." why did Ino bother asking? She never turned down a sleep-over.

"Yeah, sure. I have a free period now but I'll wait for you to be done." It's not like Sakura had better things to do. In fact it felt like a nap was in order. "You guys head to class and I'll just hang here with Shika."

With the sound of the bell in the distance everyone dispersed leaving Shikamaru and Sakura alone together. Not that either of them minded, most times like this were spent in either a comfortable silence or in casual conversation. With Shikamaru looking like he was passed on the floor, it was apparent that today would be the former, leaving Sakura alone with her thoughts.

Sakura lit another cigarette, fiddling with the lighter once she was done. Deciding to take a leaf out of Shikamaru's book Sakura laid down on the floor and stared up at the sky. This always made her feel so insignificant. It made her realise that her problems were pretty small compared to the rest of the world.

Sakura thought about her parents, and how they always seemed to demand the best from her. It was great that they cared how well she did in school and what she did with her life, but sometimes, it just didn't feel like she was living. Day after day was filled with school work, university applications and extra tutor classes. Which by the way, she didn't even need.

This was why the trip to Konoha was a Godsend. Seven whole days of practically nothing! Folklore assignments were so easy, all of the information was on the internet so you didn't even need to pay attention in class. All she needed to do on this trip was take a few photos and do some research when she got home. Easy.

Sakura was apparently unaware as to how much time she had spent dwelling on these matters, but seeing Ino approaching the cage she realised she must have been sat there for about an hour. Oh dear, Ino looked rather disgruntled. She must have had another fight with her design tutor. She'd find out if she was right in 3...2...1...

"Jesus my design tutor is such an idiot! She wouldn't know a polka dot from a frigging Fleur de Lis. You know, I think she hates me. I think she hates me and knows how much she pisses me off. That's the only explanation I have for how stupid she is!" Ino sucked in a deep breath. Her face was flushed and her fist clenched tight. If she kept going on like this she'd have an aneurysm. Oh goody, it looked like she was going to have to put up with this all night.

It was three AM according to Sakura's alarm clock. In three hours time she'd have to leave for the Konoha trip. She should be in bed but sleep just wouldn't come to her tonight. Ever since Ino had gone to sleep she'd been on edge, something just didn't feel right.

* * *

Sakura drew back her curtain and opened a window, she might as well have a cigarette if she wasn't going to sleep. A chill was creeping in through the window and along her skin and if she didn't want Ino waking up she'd have to make this a quick one. Sakura took a puff from the small white stick and held her breath for a few seconds before breathing back out. At this time of year it was difficult to tell when she was exhaling smoke from her lungs or if it was just her warm breath turning white against the frigid air.

Sakura normally liked this time of night, it normally felt peaceful and quiet. But tonight it felt different. It felt wicked. Like something out there was watching her, waiting for her. It was a strange feeling, a strange thought. She had no reason to feel this way, maybe she really was working too hard. At least a week off would do her some good, she'd have time to calm her nerves.

Sakura took one last drag from her cigarette before throwing it out of the window. And just before heading back to the bed she turned back to the window. Her blood ran cold when she saw the figure beneath her. It was staring right at her! She couldn't move, could hardly breathe, and so Sakura did what any exhausted, terrified person might do. She fainted.


	3. Chapter 2

Sakura had not had a good morning. Firstly she wakes up on her floor with what felt like the biggest bruise ever on her forehead. Secondly after glancing at her alarm clock she discovered that both she and Ino had not awoken when her alarm went off. Lastly she was out of fags, oh, and out of anything that even contained a hint of caffeine. She had barely enough time to shower and that meant not stopping anywhere for coffee or cigarettes. She was well beyond agitated.

Not only was she about to go into withdrawal but she had to sit on coach for the next 4 hours, surrounded by the most annoying people she's ever met. Hopefully they'd be stopping somewhere for a few minutes to go to the bathroom. This would at least mean she'd be able to buy enough coffee, Red Bull and Cigarettes to last her the entire Konoha trip. Especially after reading online that Konoha was a small village stuck in the dark ages.

Apparently Konoha was one of those places that did everything old school. For example, they had no electricity, they grew all of their own crops, all of their clothes were hand made and so were their shoes. Literally everything that the people of the village of Konoha had was made by them. They didn't even trade their goods. It was like they were cut off from the rest of society. Luckily, they were only going to stay there for seven days.

Sakura sighed and turned to Ino. "Hey do you reckon they'll be stopping anytime soon? I'm desperate for a pick me up."

"Well if you hadn't overslept you'd be fine. And what's with the ugly bruise? Like your forehead isn't bad enough on it's own." Apparently Ino hadn't slept well either. She's not normally _that_ bitchy.

"Hey, don't forget that you overslept too. And what the hell is your problem?" Sakura was agitated enough without Ino making it worse. "Snarky bitch."

"Ugh, I just hate coaches. It's boring and noisy. Anyway, we're apparently getting a twenty minute toilet stop half way through the journey. You'll be able to get your fix then." which was apparently all Ino had left to say.

With her seat mate and best friend basically ignoring her all Sakura had left to occupy her time was her thoughts. Last night...last night was weird. Did that even happen? Or was she really just that exhausted? And if it wasn't in her head, then why was someone watching her? Was it just coincidence or something else? Sakura's head was full of questions that had no answers. Truthfully, it was all giving her a headache.

Fortunately they were just about to stop for a break, allowing Sakura to purchase her cigarettes and caffeine products. At least this eased her headache somewhat. Maybe Ino would be more interested in holding a conversation now that they'd had a breather from the stifling coach.

"For God's sake Forehead. Hurry the fuck up! We're about to leave." or maybe not. With one last longing look at the cigarette she was about to light, Sakura sighed and dragged herself back to her seat on the coach. She could tell that the two hours they had left to get to Konoha were going to be long ones.

* * *

Every student on coach could almost pinpoint the exact moment that they entered Konoha. It was like going through a time warp or a worm hole. The first thing that was immediately noticeable was that no one had any kind signal on their phone. The next clue were the workers in the fields. Their clothes were old fashioned and their tools were outdated. But for Sakura the most obvious clue was that the air felt different. It felt electrified.

Sakura wouldn't've been able to explain had she felt the need to but she was sure that there was magic in the air. This was a rather disturbing thought for her, she was a woman of science, magic was for children and those who took LARPing way too seriously.

This was really getting out of hand. Guys randomly watching her in the middle of the night, being plagued by invisible eyes watching her and now _feeling_ magic in the air. The world was starting to make less and less sense and Sakura felt like she might be starting to lose grip on reality.

Sakura took a deep breath and stared out of the window. In the distance surrounded by dense forest was the Castle of Konoha. It was the birthplace of the Uchiha clan and the place where the legend started. To think that they were actually staying in a place like that was quite impressive.

The nearer they got to the castle the more restless Sakura felt. She could feel a hum beneath her skin, like her cells were vibrating at a higher frequency than normal. Excitement gripped her stomach and she began to feel sick from it. What on earth was happening? It was just a castle. What's this reaction all about.

As the coach pulled up to it's destination Sakura began to stand. She needed to get out of there so badly. It felt like the air was getting thinner.

"Sakura! What's the matter?" alarm was present in Ino's voice. She'd never seen Sakura act this way before, she was normally so calm and level headed. "Hey, Sakura?"

The doors to the coach began to open and their teacher began to speak, but Sakura really didn't care. She flew out of the coach and sank to her knees on the grass and took deep breaths. She was beginning to feel better and as the spots began to clear from her vision she became aware that the entire coach had emptied and all of its inhabitants were stood around her in a circle. Oh God this was embarrassing.

"Everybody stand back!" a deep voice came from behind the crowd. The sound of heavy footsteps made their way towards her and Sakura felt compelled to look up.

Oh. My. God. The man standing in front of her had to be a God. Or an underwear model. Hell, maybe he was the God of Underwear Models.

Without warning the man picked her up and began to carry her to the castle. Apparently he took her shock of his good looks as some sort of illness and deemed her incapable of walking by herself. She felt half tempted to stay in his arms but thought better of it. "Um, excuse me? Would you mind putting me down?"

He looked down at her with dark unreadable eyes and gently set her on the ground. Something must be wrong with her. She just couldn't stop staring at him. He was so pale and his skin was so clear. His cheekbones were high and seemed to make him look slightly feminine and his lips were full and pink. Sakura jerked her head away with a blush. "Um sorry. Thank you very much for helping me. I'm um, I'm Sakura." God she sounded like such an idiot.

"Uchiha Sasuke." wow. Did that even count as an introduction?

"Uchiha Sasuke? As in THE Uchiha Sasuke? From the legend? Wait, no sorry. You'd have to be like five hundred years old. And you really don't look like you're five hundred. Oh gosh, sorry I'm rambling, please ignore me." Why? Why was she even trying to talk to him? She really should just keep her mouth shut from now on.

Sasuke just stared at her with a raised eyebrow. He was almost definitely wondering what was wrong with her. But his eyebrows soon levelled out and he began to walk away.

"Follow me to the Eastern wing and you can have a room to lie down in whilst the rest of your class get settled. Your teacher will come to collect you for dinner." He was rather curt but his voice made shivers run down her spine. She let him lead her to a room in silence.

"Here." was all he had to say before he turned around and left. Sakura stared after him and as soon as he was out of sight she went into the room.

Great. It looked like it could have been home to a giant Funnel Web Spider. Cobwebs everywhere! She tried to clean the bed the best she could before lying down. She had at least an hour to kill before someone came to look for her. Might as well try to catch up on the sleep she never got the night before. Or maybe she should just fantasise about Sasuke...fanatasising it was!


End file.
